Today is national absinthe day. How weird it that, considering it was banned in quite a few countries until the 1990s. In one of my advertising classes in college I had to create a guerilla advertising campaign for the absinthe brand, Lucid. I had to do quite a bit of research and found the whole thing pretty interesting. Absinthe was consumed by all types of people, in all classes, but was known especially in the artist community. Even in the movie Moulin Rouge the bohemian actors and artists are visited by the little green fairy. Many people thought it could cause you to have hallucinations and psychotic breakdowns. I’m sure back in the day, without any production control, it was a crazy concoction but today you can buy it at your local liquor store. And no, there aren’t hallucinations, no more so than shots of Fireball.Ok, I’m sure there is someone out there reading this with their panties in a bunch about how it sounds like I’m endorsing alcohol which is irresponsible and blah, blah, blah. First, if that’s you, get out of here because you are completely missing the point. Second, absinthe was something people thought was so terrible they didn’t just make it illegal, they banned it. And then around the time of the Fresh Prince glory days they brought it back. Maybe that is what the song “Party like it’s 1999” is about. (I’m just kidding. If you believed me right there you need to re-evaluate your personal beliefs or read a book. Trust no one.)The bottom line is poor little absinthe was misunderstood and exiled from existence, which probably made a lot of people furious at the time. Imagine if that was happening today. All of the pro-absinthe and anti-absinthe people posting ridiculous memes to adamantly state their side. All of the Facebook friendships lost. Oh, the horror of it all. We all know the saying, history repeats itself. If absinthe is any indication of what happens when a product is banned, well, it’s not looking good for all of you anti-absinthe protesters. Decades from now it will end up with its own national day and some weird chick will write about it in her blog. So, be careful what you wish for… or ban.

Comments are closed.

I'm Jackie, an artist, illustrator, and friend to ghosts, monsters, and aliens. This blog is full of DIY projects, stories, and things I think are cool. Stay weird.